My girlfriend and I just had a baby girl in Virginia... Things are rocky between the two of us so I want to go to Texas to visit my family and I want to take my little girl with me her mother will be working 12hour shifts, plus my parents would love to see their grandaughter. My girlfriend tells me that my little girl can't go with me. Can she keep me from taking her and if I was to could she say it was kidnapping even if you oks the trip!

Ok, first, you need to get a court to affirm custody of the child. Until that's set, the mother has defacto custody and can control this.

Once you get custody and visitation affirmed by the courts, you can deal with taking your daughter on a trip. However, I would NOT consider taking a baby from the mother for at least the first year, more likely two. I guess with 12 hour shifts, she's not breast feeding, but I think, until the child is at least 2, it shouldn't be taken from its mother for an extended period.

Since your not married, you have no rights until the court says so. NONE!!

No mother is going to be OK with the father taking their new baby on a long trip.

Do not take the baby without the mother's permission! DO NOT!

Well a couple of things, are you listed as the father on the birth certificate, If so then you do have equal rights with the mother,

If you are not listed you will have to file for custody, and fight in court for what level of custody you are going to have. Also the word married did not come up either, and that has an effect

And you said things are rocky, so she has nothing to be sure you are coming back, so even if you were married, I doubt she would let you take the child